Happy New Year 2017/18: goals and resolutions

I’m a week late in saying this, but… happy new year! Sorry for my tardiness (does anyone use that word anymore?), but I’ve spent the past week with a really nasty flu. Not fun. But I’m finally feeling myself again, so I’m back to it!

I hope you guys had a good Christmas and new year break? I actually spent NYE in Bruges this year, which was pretty awesome. It was a weekend full of beer, chocolate and beautiful cobbled streets… bliss! I’ve never actually been away for new year before, so it was a new experience for me. I’ve spent almost every other year of my adult life celebrating new year with my high school friends, but this trip was with my boyfriend and his family. It did feel strange to be away from home… but I loved it so much! I’ll share a bit more about what I got up to in a future blog post.

Anyway, with the new year comes a chance for reassessment and goal setting. I’ve already talked about my 2017 achievements over in my birthday blog post (geez, that already feels like ages ago). Therefore, I wanted to focus this post mostly on looking ahead at what’s to come…

Word of the year

Last year, I started a new tradition of setting myself a “word of the year”. I got this idea from the awesome Elise, and I am so into it. It’s super easy; you simply choose a guiding word to help give you a bit of focus in the year to come. Last year, my word was “lifestyle”. This word was borne from my desire to strike a better work/life balance, learn how to prioritise happiness and live a generally more fulfilling life. Big goals, right?! I’ve 100% not reached that goal (can you ever?), but I’ve definitely started to shift my mindset.

So, what’s my word of the year for 2018? Settle. Yep. It’s a bit of a weird one, with lots of elements to it. Let me explain…

I want to settle into a routine I enjoy (building on my “lifestyle” building of 2017). I’ve just started a new job, so settling in to that is a big priority for the first half of the year. But I also want to settle into a good routine with my blog, my social life and my fitness/exercise routines.

Another aspect of this word is settling with what I have. Settling with the clothes I have, the camera I use, the car I drive. That’s certainly not to say that I’ll put up with things that I’m not happy with – far from it. Instead, I want to learn to love what I own, enjoy my life as it is, and stop with the typical 21st Century need to constantly have more. I want to shift my mindset towards measuring happiness in terms of experiences, not items. (Just to clarify, I’m pretty good at this already – I’m definitely not overly materialistic… but I still think I can improve more).

I also want to settle on my personal style. I’m not talking simply the clothes I wear and the music I listen to. I mean, the sort of person I want to be – what is my personal brand? I’m a proud dabbler, in that I’ll try pretty much anything! But what’s my signature style? How would I describe myself and The Crafty Gentleman in one sentence? Sure, this is a complex project and will naturally evolve – but I want to work towards “settling” on my personal brand, and what I stand for.

Last up, I want to settle my mind. This is a biggie. I’m prone to stress and anxiety. I’ve lost entire days in the past due to needlessly stressing about mundane things. But this year, I want to try and address this. What will I do if something isn’t going to plan and I have no control over it? Get over it. Move on. Settle. What is the house is messy and I’ve got a million other things to do? Calm down. Do something. Do anything. Settle. Settle on a course of action; settle my mind.

So, there it is; my 2018 word of the year. Settle.

One second a day video

Yaaaay! I’m super excited to be starting a new 1 second a day video! You might recall that I made one way back in 2016. I LOVED IT. But it started to get a little repetitive towards the end of the year, so I decided to alternate years. One year on, one year off. That means I’m back to it for 2018, woohoo! I already can’t wait to share it with you – although I of course don’t want to wish the year away just yet! 🙂

As a recap, here’s my 2016 video to give you an idea of what I’m aiming towards.

So there it is, my 2018 new years resolutions. They aren’t resolutions in the typical sense, but I’m an avid list maker and goal setter all year round anyway. I’d love to know what you think! Will you be making a 1 second a day video? Or perhaps you like the idea of setting a guiding word? Let me know in the comments! Happy new year everyone 🙂 – Mike.

About me

Mike is the owner and founder of The Crafty Gentleman, a website aimed at encouraging men into the world of crafts. He loves nothing more than an afternoon spent crafting, with a cup of tea and some good tunes in the background.